Ottawa is a city located in La Salle County, Illinois. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 18,307. It is the county seat of La Salle County.

Geography

Ottawa is located at 41°20'50" North, 88°50'32" West (41.347118, -88.842184)¹.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 19.8 km² (7.7 mi²). 19.0 km² (7.3 mi²) of it is land and 0.9 km² (0.3 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 4.31% water.

Historical Significance

Ottawa is known for two major reasons.

It was the site of the 1858 Lincoln-Douglas Debate during which Stephen Douglas, leader of the Democratic party, openly accused Abraham Lincoln of forming a secret bipartisan group of Congressmen to bring about the abolition of slavery.

Ottawa's second claim to fame is that it is the site of major radioactive contamination, most of which was cleaned up after the EPA made 14 of its "Hot Spots" Superfund sites in 1993. The Radium Dial Company opened shop in an old Ottawa school in 1923. The dial-painters at the Ottawa plant were young women and girls, who earned around 17 dollars a week, a very impressive wage for anyone at that time, especially a woman. They painted the dials with the glowing radium paint using the Chinese technique of lip pointing the brush, which meant that they ingested the radium directly. Management assured them that radium was safe and would even improve their health, but in 1925 discovered that some the dial-painters had become radioactive. Eventually, the plant would close and re-open in another Ottawa location under the name Luminous Processes. The building was torn down in 1968 and the town built a meat locker on the site. In 1997, Superfund finished its cleanup and according to a 1997 Northern Illinois University study, Ottawa has high rates of cancers of the bone, liver, lung, and pancreas as well as leukemia. This supported evidence first brought up in a 1980 article in the Wall Street Journal and also in the film "Radium City."

Carol Langer, a documentary film-maker, premiered the film in November of 1987 as the opening feature of the American Film Institute Festival of Independent Films at the Kennedy Center.

As of 2005, most of the large dump sites, like the one under the high school football field, have been cleaned up. Five sites remain, but funding and public interest do not. Not counted among these sites is the Catholic cemetery where the dial-painters were buried, some of whom had to be exhumed and reburied in lead coffins.

Demographics

As of the census² of 2000, there are 18,307 people, 7,510 households, and 4,889 families residing in the city. The population density is 964.3/km² (2,497.9/mi²). There are 8,030 housing units at an average density of 423.0/km² (1,095.6/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 95.26% White, 1.37% African American, 0.15% Native American, 0.83% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 0.93% from other races, and 1.39% from two or more races. 5.21% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There are 7,510 households out of which 31.1% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.4% are married couples living together, 11.7% have a female householder with no husband present, and 34.9% are non-families. 30.8% of all households are made up of individuals and 14.2% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.38 and the average family size is 2.98.

In the city the population is spread out with 24.9% under the age of 18, 8.1% from 18 to 24, 28.2% from 25 to 44, 20.8% from 45 to 64, and 17.9% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 38 years. For every 100 females there are 91.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 87.3 males.

The median income for a household in the city is $36,513, and the median income for a family is $44,435. Males have a median income of $41,943 versus $22,041 for females. The per capita income for the city is $19,426. 11.3% of the population and 9.8% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 16.8% of those under the age of 18 and 7.0% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.

External links